Irish Blood Transfusion Service

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS), or "Seirbhís Fuilaistriúcháin na hÉireann" in Irish, was established in the Republic of Ireland as the "Blood Transfusion Service Board" ("BTSB") by the [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZSI78Y1965.html Blood Transfusion Service Board (Establishment) Order, 1965] , it took its current name in April 2000 by Statutory Instrument issued by the Minister for Heath and Children to whom it is responsible. The primary responsibly of the service is the provision of blood and blood products for humans.

History

The service is the successor to the "National Blood Transfusion Association" which was established in 1948 and was, itself, born from the work carried out by the St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland in setting up [http://www.ibts.ie/generic.cfm?mID=7&sID=105 an 'on call' blood donor panel] to serve hospitals in the Dublin area. In 1975 the "Cork Blood Transfusion Service" was amalgamated with the board, and in 1991 the "Limerick Blood Transfusion Service" was amalgamated with the board.

The symbol of the service is a stylised pelican, and for most of its existence the headquarters of the service was located at Pelican House (first in Lower Leeson Street and then Mespil Road), Dublin. In 2000 the service relocated to the state-of-the-art National Blood Centre on the grounds of St. James's Hospital near Dublin Heuston railway station, on which it remains. The service maintains regional facilities at Ardee, Carlow, Cork, Limerick and Tuam.

The Compensation Tribunal

Between 1977 and 1994 a number of people were infected with Hepatitis C unknowingly, and clear evidence on this did not become available until the mid 1990s. Most of the people who received this blood were women. The Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal was established by the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal Act, 1997, and amended by the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Act, 2002, to compensate people who contracted Hepatitis C or HIV as a result of receiving blood or blood products from the service.

About blood

The frequency of blood groups in Ireland is as follows:

It is important that the IBTS collects enough O Rh D positive blood as almost half the population are that blood type. Donors with O Rh D negative are known as universal donors. Their blood can be transfused to patients of any other blood group in an emergency or if the patient's own blood group is unavailable. Because any patient can receive O Rh D negative blood, the IBTS need to have extra O Rh D negative blood available at all times.

Restrictions on donations

The IBTS imposes a number of restrictions on those who can donate blood. These are in line with the European Union, World Health Organisation and the Irish Medical Board and are similar to other countries. These restrictions are in place to ensure that all blood products are safe for recipients. Donors who have lived for a year or more in the United Kingdom between the years 1980 – 1996 are excluded from ever donating due to the risk of variant Creutz Jakobs Disese (vCJD). vCJD has a long incubation period and there is no laboratory test which can detect the disease. A 6 month restriction is placed on donors who have had piercings or tatoos, had acupuncture or visited a tropical area. There is a year long deferral for those who have visited a malarial area. Donors who have travelled to the USA or Canada have to wait for 8 weeks before donating due to the West Nile disease. Certain medications or conditions can also prevent people from donating.

Additionally, any male who has ever had sexual contact with another male is banned, permanently. This is despite the IBTS admitting that this policy causes "considerable offence" and is "clearly discriminatory". [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.ibts.ie/generic.cfm?mID=2&sID=80] The IBTS's blood donation services have previously been advertised by Westlife [http://web.archive.org/web/20061003234803/http://www.ibts.ie/press_rel.cfm?mID=6&sID=94&ssID=22&yr=2004&relID=33] , an Irish boyband with an openly gay member.

References

External links

* [http://www.giveblood.ie Official website]